Bill Ratliff
Bill Ratliff | |
---|---|
40th Lieutenant Governor of Texas | |
In office December 28, 2000 – January 21, 2003 | |
Governor | Rick Perry |
Preceded by | Rick Perry |
Succeeded by | David Dewhurst |
Member of the Texas Senate from the 1st district | |
In office January 10, 1989 – January 10, 2004 | |
Preceded by | Richard Anderson |
Succeeded by | Kevin Eltife |
Personal details | |
Born | William Roark Ratliff August 16, 1936 |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Sally Sandlin |
Children | 3, including Bennett |
Relatives | Plasma (grandson) |
Education | University of Texas at Austin (BS) |
William Roark Ratliff (born August 16, 1936) is an American politician and engineer who served as a member of the
Early life and education
Ratliff was educated at Sonora High School in Sonora in Sutton County in West Texas and then at the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied civil engineering. Ratliff, along with brothers Shannon and Jack, was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.[citation needed]
Career
Ratliff worked as a civil engineer for thirty years.[1]
Texas Senate
He was first elected in 1988 as a
Ratliff and his wife, the former Sally Sandlin, have three children and eight grandchildren.[1] Son Bennett Ratliff of Coppell, a civil engineer, served nine years as a Coppell ISD School Board Trustee and was elected in 2012 to represent District 115 in the Texas House of Representatives. Another son, Robert Thomas Ratliff (born 1967) of Mt. Pleasant, is the Republican Vice-Chairman of the Texas State Board of Education.
Ratliff announced in 2003 that he would not run for reelection to the State Senate in 2004.
Lieutenant governor
In 2000, for the first time in Texas history,
In the election for lieutenant governor, Ratliff defeated rival David Sibley of Waco. In 2001, Ratliff first announced that he would be a candidate for election to a full four-year term to the office of lieutenant governor in the 2002 state elections, and he received the endorsement of several prominent Republican legislators.[7] However, he later withdrew from the race, and the position went to David Dewhurst, the Texas land commissioner.[1]
Political views
Ratliff is regarded as a
In early 2003, Ratliff was the only dissenting member of his party who joined with Democratic state senators in opposing a redistricting proposal of Texas's then thirty-two seats in the United States House of Representatives that he felt would lead to the under-representation of rural voters.[6] In cooperation with ten Democrats, he signed a letter refusing to bring the matter to the Senate floor, which, by virtue of Texas Senate traditions that require a two-thirds vote of those present and voting to allow a bill to be debated, prevented the proposal from being passed.[4]
Eventually a plan suitable to Republicans was enacted in the third of three special legislative sessions called in 2003 by Governor Perry. Under that plan, by 2011, Republicans held twenty-three U.S. House seats from Texas compared to nine for Democrats.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Bill Ratliff Archived September 2, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, Texas State Politics, University of Texas
- ^ a b c "April 2001 State Legislatures magazine: Bill Ratliff, A New Texas Star?". May 31, 2004. Archived from the original on May 31, 2004. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - TX State Senate 01 Race - Nov 08, 1988".
- ^ a b c King, Michael (November 28, 2003). "Naked City". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
- ^ "Legislative Reference Library | Legislators and Leaders | Member profile".
- ^ a b c d Bill Ratliff, John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
- ^ Prominent Texas Republican Senators and House Members Support Lt. Governor Bill Ratliff as He Announces Plans to Run, Business Wire, May 26, 2001